“i just found this site and i absolutely LOVE it. all of the sisters on here are beautiful and all of the cute natural hair style’s i’ve been seeing are making me want to switch up my hair even more! i currently have a perm, and i’ve been contemplating going natural for a long time now. i crave a beautiful full natural head of kinks but i don’t want to have to cut off all of my hair to get it. do you guys have any transition advice you can give me, or any ideas about how i can go from perm to natural without that dramatic change? any help or advice you guys could give me would be great!” – kashmir (not pictured)

thanks kashmir, i’m glad you like the site! my goal is always to inspire and provoke women to achieve their best and to believe that their hair is just as fly as the next chic’s so welcome to the family! ;)

not everyone who goes natural big chops. i didn’t. the way i got around the big chop was by wearing a sew-in weave. i washed my hair every week and added oils and butters to my roots to seal in moisture. i let my hair dry overnight and repeated this process for about a year and a few months before i big chopped. my hair was healthy, vibrant and collar bone length when i finally cut the relaxed hair off.

big chopping isn’t for everyone and it was not for me at that time in my life. i will say this though, if i could go back and do it again, I WOULD HAVE BIG CHOPPED and wore my twa with pride. the reason i did not was because there were not as many naturals at that time nor was i as confident about my kinky hair as i am now. there was no curly nikki, afrobella when i went natural, and kisforkinky was not even a blip on my radar yet, so i was trying to figure things out on my own and getting past the hurdle of “not having the right kind of hair to big chop” was my major one. but you live and you learn.

my suggestion for you if you don’t want to big chop is to wear healthy, no too tight, sew-ins and or wigs and wash your hair every week. the key here or at least for me was to have my cornrows AS SMALL AS I COULD GET THEM within reason because they washed easily, rinsed clean and dried fast. the key is drying because you don’t want your hair to start to hold on to smell and dirt which can turn into mildew. i also redid my cornrows once a month religiously, no fail. i deep conditioned, re-braided and re-weaved. the reason i was able to do this so much was also because i wore a curly weave so i didn’t have to have a “perfect” install of my weave since i basically wore an afro that covered my scalp. i also did everything myself. and that’s what worked for me.

before yous start wearing sew-ins or wigs you can also do twist out hair styles like flat twists, do braid outs, straw and rod sets and pin up styles. with less than 6 inches of new growth, these styles are easy to do and will also help you blend your two textures of hair. your hair will get a point though that you will need to either chop or weave it up because if you don’t the point where the new growth and the relaxed hair meet are going to drive you nuts!

what say you guys? for those of you who DIDN’T big chop, if you had to do it all over again, would your decision still be the same? how did you take care of your natural hair as you were growing it out? do you have any suggestions and tips for kashmir that you can share?

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yellow and white stripe dress | pink jelly heels | mixed bracelet set | gold and blue multi-chain bracelet

ladies! i cut my hair! i was tired of the bulk. i could put it in a little afro puff on the top of my head. not cute.

let’s see, what did i do to get ready for another big chop? to prep my hair, i moisturized with free your mane reviving spray. i prefer cutting my hair when it’s a little damp and not completely wet, so i can see the true length. and you know i had to film it, right? check out the video below to see the whole process.

oh and i guess i should say that i feel much more sexier and i’ve noticed that this hair cut draws much more attention to my face than i was expecting. another surprise result is that when i wake up it’s an automatic good hair day! i love it.

when we started with the cut i was inspired by solange’s big chop a few years ago as well as amber rose’s recent vibe magazine cover. i really like how her lips popped on the cover. okay, i know, i know her cover has nothing to do with hair but looking at it when i’m in model mode, i instantly noticed her face and how her lips play on her face, and her eyes play on her face – you notice every detail of her face. and now here i am a few days into my chop and i’m playing around with lip colors and pink blush and all of those things because now i almost feel like i have a reason to…or more reason to. it’s been a while since i was all “face” so i’m going to really enjoy this. it’s summer baby! i think the summer time is the best time to big chop.

okay, so please tell me, do you like it? it’s going to take a little getting used to, but i feel great! are you switching up your style for the summer?

Related posts:

1. how should i grow out my big chop ceasar cut?
2. i want her hair!: big chop redo
3. the new blackface: white? mama and black baby on wheat

by kinky girl, sonya mccoy

I did it! (again) “The Big Chop”, as we have come to know it, is a phenomenon in Black culture when African American women cut off their chemically straightened hair. This is the third time I have done the “big chop.” Once in 1993 and once in 1999, I cut off my my chemically straightened hair. This time, I cut off locked (dreadlocked) hair that I had been cultivating and growing for eight years.

Non-Black readers as well as Black ones may be asking: why is this hair thing so important in the Black community?

The discourse about Black folks’ hair is one that has less to do with hair and more to do with American identity. Some will argue this point to infinitude, but there really is no way to account for the persistence of the Black hair issue permeating cultural discourse since the transatlantic slave trade without concluding that we are talking about far more than hair.

Every decade or so since the end of the Civil Rights movement when Black folks decided to embrace all things black (nappy hair and afros, black art, black literature, and afrocentrism as a whole), the issue of Black women’s hair and its nappiness has surfaced. As most of us know, the early twentieth-century sense of the term “nappy” refers to the frizziness or tightly coiled feature indicative of African hair patterns. What most of us do not know or refuse to admit is that we tend to view the term “nappy” as yet another N word. Remember Imus’s “nappy-headed hoes” comment? The American identity is predicated on social constructions of whiteness, as Toni Morrison, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., bell hooks, and countless other Black scholars have noted. And as Morrison so famously states, “American means white, and everyone else has to hyphenate.” Well, yes, but what does this have to do with hair?

Embedded within the American identity is the American female identity. And as many of us are already aware, in most patriarchal societies, women are valued for their “beauty” and their ability to bear children (preferably male children). I placed quotations around the word “beauty” because here is where we get into trouble (at least we nappy-headed Black women). If American means white, then American beauty means “white beauty.” Those in power get to define and decide. And what is “white beauty”? The white paradigm of beauty so pervades our society that it has become invisible. In short, the white paradigm of beauty includes straight hair (usually long), white skin, narrow noses, light colored eyes, and thin bodies. Until fairly recently, thin lips and flat butts were apart of this paradigm; however, pop-culture, specifically hip hop culture, has changed this (a few cool points for pop culture).

As we can see, nappy hair is the binary opposite of straight hair; therefore, it does not fit the white paradigm of beauty. And if nappy is the binary opposite of straight (beauty), then nappy must be by default – ugly. Many critics say that Black culture has its own standards of beauty outside of the mainstream (white) culture. I say that Black culture is still a microcosm of mainstream culture (a sub-culture as it were). As such, Blacks still continue to see themselves through white eyes. Hence the insidious and persistent predilection in the Black community for hair straighteners, hair weaves, and extensions. In fact, many Black men have rendered any Black woman invisible who does not have long straight (or straightish) hair. Therefore, hair straighteners, hair weaves, and hair extensions remain at the top of the Black woman’s shopping list between soap and toilet paper.

Of course, there are women who change wigs and weaves like they change shoes. This is a woman who sees hair as a fashion accessory. There’s nothing pathological about that. Hopefully, this analogy will add some clarity. Most women wear make up. However, the casual make up wearer is far different from the woman who sets her alarm at 5:00, rushes into the bathroom, puts on a full mask of make-up, and returns to bed before her husband awakes.

At any rate, I dropped out of this hair game on March 21, 1999 (the date I got my last hair relaxer). It may sound pop-psychologyish, but I made the decision to love the “real” me – the Black me – the nappy-headed me, irrespective of what Black men thought. However, there were many who thought the Black woman with the wild nappy hair was hot (I met and married my husband while wearing nappy hair). And on June 2, 2002 I locked my nappy hair because I fell in love with locked hair. At the time, this was not a popular choice. In 2002, Lil Wayne and hip hop culture had yet to put their stamp on dreadlocks. I have an entire post about demystifying locked hair. In that post, I also explain my pain and pleasure about natural hair. So I will not elaborate here.

Now, I have returned to my short nappy hair with great pleasure. Just as I knew when it was time to lock my hair in 2002 after three years of growing, styling, and enjoying my natural hair, I knew when it was time to make a break with my locks.

I am not my hair, but my hair is me.

what are your thoughts on sonya’s perspective about her hair? can you relate?

Related posts:

1. my hair is too nappy to go natural!

every now and again i think many of us go through that, “maybe i should big chop” phase long after we’ve grown our hair. or sometimes we go through it because of hair disaster setbacks like heat damage or a bad hair cut or a break up – i always thought this was a myth (cutting off your hair after a failed relationship) until i ran into a few women who have done this.

recently i’ve been wavering about cutting my hair. for some reason i have this urge to have really short hair and though i know i’d love the short hair – in theory, it might not love me back, so i’m going to wait on that one.

“sasha” pink platforms | tan hobo | pink drape front top | bow headband | folka art beaded earrings

big chopping can be fun. recently taren chopped off her hair into a pretty short do. i love the way short hair looks as it adds a flair to hair that often a curly bob cannot. with short hair it’s like – “here is my face. look at it.” we can hide behind our floppy fros but with hair as sort as four to six inches, it’s hard to do that, so big chopping is a great way to test your limits when it comes to what you hair can and cannot do for your style.

i’m still gonna keep the idea of big chopping in the back of my head. while i do so, i’ll be watching as a bystander all the other ladies who take the scissors to their manes, maybe one day being brave enough to snip all of my hair off.

what say you? have you ever big chopped after your initial big chop just to start over and do something different with your hair? how was the experience? and if not and you are like me, is this something you are thinking about doing soon?

Related posts:

1. how should i grow out my big chop ceasar cut?

so, you did it! you shaved your head bald or did the next best thing – got a ceaser cut. now on your natural journey you are wondering how to keep up this hair cut and how to deal with it as it grows back in – long on top, shorter on the bottom. eekkk!!

i never did the big “shave” – i consider my head not shave friendly, but for those of you who did, it’s not that hard to grow your hair back in; it just take a little creativity and patience.

here are some tipw to grow out your post big chop ceaser and stay kinky, curly and fly and sane!:

1. stock up on some nice headbands – a little on the thicker side – 1-2 inches thick. this will help with the thicker growth on top and allow you to mask the differening lengths growing in, AND you will still be in fashion.
2. try to avoid cutting your hair to get it all the same length – that’s counter intuitive to what you want to accomplish and though tempting, will not allow you to grow your hair out if you become a scissorholic. resist temptation!
3. play with the faux hawk look. you can slick down your sides and spike up your hair down the middle to mask the different lengths.
4. weave! you may not be a big fan, but a weave or wig can help to ease your woes for a couple of months until you have the hair length that you are comfortable with.
5. hats are always your friend. you can add them to you hair care accessories collection and use them when in a tight spot.

the truth is that you will have a little “awkwardness” for the next few months, but keep your head up. it’s only temporary and you’ll have hair that you can twist up or wash, fluff and go in no time!

did you shave your hair off for your big chop? how did you cope with growing your hair in? what tips would you offer to other naturals trying to grow in a casear? did you use any specific hair products to aid you with your growth and blending your lengths?

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many a natural have fallen victim to heat damage. usually it happens in a small section of your head where you unfortunately discover a section of non-reverting hair, usually right after a good press or blow out. but that’s what happens to us when we get, shall i say, lucky?

otise’s (pronounced o-teese) story is a bit different and one i’d say is probably the most common with naturals who like to press and wear their hair straight on a daily bases. having been natural since 03, she’s been pressing her hair for years. unfortunately all of that pressing left her with hair that wouldn’t revert and tons of contrasting textured new growth.

what is heat damage?:

heat damage is damage that occurs from the overuse of styling tools such as flat irons and curling irons, as well as blow dryers. when we apply very high levels to our hair without any protection (and sometimes even with protection), such as a heat protectant, overtime, the heat will damage the cuticle layers of your hair.

the cuticle layer of hair covers the shaft of the hair strand and protects your hair. once heat damage is done, it cannot be fixed, meaning, once this layer is removed or damaged, it will remain damaged hair.

heat damage also breaks down the chemical structure of your hair. naturally kinky, curly hair has a lot of “structure” and the more you break it down, the straighter and less elastic your hair will become. most women who experience heat damage also experience limp, lifeless hair.

one way to tell if you have heat damage is if you have “new growth” and straighter hair on your ends, like the photo above, and you don’t have a relaxer.

heat damage is NOT reversible, no matter what anyone / any stylist says. the only way to get rid of it is to cut it out.

when your healthy hair is wet, it can stretch up to 30% its length and still return to its original state. however, heat damaged hair causes structure breakdown as well as dryness, causing your hair to loose it’s elasticity as well as moisture and it will begin to snap and break easily, especially at the line of demarcation – the point where the heat damaged hair meets the “new growth.”

after getting what she thought were her “heat damaged ends” cut off at a natural salon and a application of uncle funky’s daughter’s curly magic (similar to kinky curly or miss jessies in its usage), which you can see in the photo below, she thought she’d gotten over the heat damage hump. but she was wrong. the heat damage had completely changed the texture of her hair – texturzing it – taking her natural 4a/b hair to 3a!

how long (years) have you been pressing? how often per week?

I pressed and heat styled from 2003 til December 2009. I pressed and heat styled approximately 4-7 times per week.

did you ever use heat protectants?

I purchased heat protectant by Matrix but I rarely used it. I didn’t like how it made my hair feel sticky and it sounded like I was baking the product into my hair when I used my iron.

what heating tools would you say you used on a regular bases?

Yellowbird blow dryer, Sedu 1′ ceramic and smaller ceramic from Sally’s Beauty.

when did you realize that you had really damaged your hair?

Because my journey to natural hair was accidental, I really didn’t understand the various textures of my hair, which products to use or the effect that heat styling had on my texture.  It wasn’t until late October 2009 when I decided to try a natural look that I realized my hair was heat damaged and at that time I still didn’t realize what was wrong with my hair.

I bought some products to enhance my natural curl pattern and decided to try a style. I went to work the next day and part of my hair was curly and a significant portion of my hair was straight. My hair would curl to a certain extent and then get straight.  At that point, I knew something was wrong so I decided to start the process, which for me was more mental than anything, and cut my hair to a point where all the straight ends were gone.

lots of naturals hold on to heat damage hair and call it “heat trained hair” – hair that has been texturized by heat,  and some are very successful at keeping up with their heat damaged/trained hair. what made you decide to bite the bullet and big chop again and how was that experience?

My natural journey started as a result of me not wanting to get perms so I started to press my hair. From 2003 to 2006, I went to a hair stylist and during that time I continued to press and I also colored my hair during that period. In August of 2006, I started law school, which meant no money for hair styling so I purchased a ceramic iron. HUGE MISTAKE. In the short term, I was able to press and straightening my hair but I didn’t realize that I was slowly but SURELY frying my hair and setting the stage for my big chop last January. Looking back, I can remember when I went to my stylist Dexter, who also had natural hair, he always deep conditioned, treated and protected my hair before he pressed. I didn’t do those essential things when I pressed my hair, thus I had to cut ALL my hair when I realized that I wanted more versatility and more healthy locks.

From the time I stopped perming in 2003 until I did the big chop in January, I have had countless trims and hair cuts so I can’t pinpoint a definitive time when I cut out all of the relaxed hair before my BIG CHOP. My first attempt to transition from pressing to natural styling was in November when I went to a “stylist” who cut about three or four inches off. At the time, I thought I did a BIG CHOP and was on my way to becoming a natural diva. Two months after my first chop, I went to get a trim and the trim revealed that I was a long way from where I wanted to be. I went to an actual natural hair care salon to purchase some products and after an examination of my hair texture by the owner of the salon, I was told that I needed another 5 or 6 inches cut off! I was devastated but when I went home and saw that my hair curled from the root then went straight and then curled again, I finally realized what heat damage was, the extent of my hair damage and what heat damage looks like.

what lessons have you learned from your heat damage and what things do you plan to do differently this go round?

Now that I know what hair damage is and what it looks like, I plan to use heat less often and rely on a professional who specializes in natural hair before I apply heat to my natural tresses.

your new hairstyle is beautiful and i’m happy to see you off to a healthy new start again! what’s your current hair care routine?

I wash and condition my hair at least two to three times a week. I don’t have any favorite products at this time and I don’t have a hair care regimen. I am just trying to figure out my hair textures and what works for my hair.

heat damage is REAL, and there is not enough apple cider vinegar, protein treatments or voodoo spells that can reverse it. if you experience heat damage, the DAMAGE is done and you will have to eventually cut off your damaged hair. there is nothing wrong with using heat, but you MUST use it safely and know what your hair can and cannot take.

have you ever experienced heat damage? if so, share your story and how you handled your hair’s damage.

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